Territorial acquisition is a dangerous game to start playing. The world has moved on from the age of annexation and invasion.

Clinton has compared this to Germany in 1930s. There are some parallels. Being sore about having lost territories in the break-up of the soviet union. Annexing neighbouring territory on the grounds of protecting your ethnic clan. Promising that you are finished when there are many other Russian ethnic groups in other neighbouring territories.

The psychology of Putin is a worry. He has a bit of a narcissistic personality cult about him which is a warning sign for a leader who has the potential to cause a lot of misery through ego driven confrontation.

I hope the world can show a united front when it comes to sanctions to see if we are able to control bad behaviour without military force.

I see you are still living in "La La Land" and think Putin is the only bad guy but not others? and what sanctions you would propose? I would be interested to hear. Do you care to collaborate? Maybe the US should appoint you as ambassador of the "world know how" inventing a new job for you. That maybe solve all the Putin problems what we having right now at ones. Not people dying for a useless causes or hunger or anything else which is created by whom? All by Putin himself.

Presumably not those who 'liberated' Iraq, are in the process of trying (& failing) to 'liberate' Syria, who 'liberated' Libya, and are in the process of 'liberating' Palestine.

General Wesley Clark: Wars Were Planned - Seven Countries In Five Years
Originally published in March 2007 General Wesley Clark:

Because I had been through the Pentagon right after 9/11. About ten days after 9/11, I went through the Pentagon and I saw Secretary Rumsfeld and Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz.

I went downstairs just to say hello to some of the people on the Joint Staff who used to work for me, and one of the generals called me in. He said, "Sir, you've got to come in and talk to me a second." I said, "Well, you're too busy." He said, "No, no." He says, "We've made the decision we're going to war with Iraq." This was on or about the 20th of September. I said, "We're going to war with Iraq? Why?" He said, "I don't know." He said, "I guess they don't know what else to do." So I said, "Well, did they find some information connecting Saddam to al-Qaeda?" He said, "No, no." He says, "There's nothing new that way. They just made the decision to go to war with Iraq." He said, "I guess it's like we don't know what to do about terrorists, but we've got a good military and we can take down governments." And he said, "I guess if the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem has to look like a nail."

So I came back to see him a few weeks later, and by that time we were bombing in Afghanistan. I said, "Are we still going to war with Iraq?" And he said, "Oh, it's worse than that." He reached over on his desk. He picked up a piece of paper. And he said, "I just got this down from upstairs" -- meaning the Secretary of Defense's office -- "today." And he said, "This is a memo that describes how we're going to take out seven countries in five years, starting with Iraq, and then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and, finishing off, Iran." I said, "Is it classified?" He said, "Yes, sir." I said, "Well, don't show it to me."

And I saw him a year or so ago, and I said, "You remember that?" He said, "Sir, I didn't show you that memo! I didn't show it to you!"

your slavish obsequiousness of all things Putin and your almost obsessive anti Americanism, makes it difficult for some to take you seriously on any issue

How can I help you today?

My apologies for my briefness previously. Some will call this "waffle", "am I bovvered", no.

Not at all. My reports from Russia, China, Iran and other counties illustrate actual, physical or documented achievements. You know like increasing local food production, providing funds to protect local citizens, raising living standards for a large % of local citizens and also some foreigners . My list goes on and on regarding countries which most here deride as buffaloes. There are many here who blindly report western MSM with no personal input/views expressed. As for being serious you must be joking. I am under no illusion that I am changing anything, at all.

Originally Posted by Hugh Cow

Whilst America has many things to answer for, so do the British Russians, Chinese, Iranians, Israelis, Turks and many others. Recognising faults in one country should not blind you to the faults of the countries you so obviously seem to want to defend and promote

ameristan has the exceptional ability, truly, to do good and evil. I can't recall the last good thing they did, either for their own citizens or foreigners. I can and inform on ameritani evil acts. ameristani vassals do not have independence of actions. Can you imagine 4 UK bombers approaching Tartus naval base and not being shot down, a French attack. I can't.

The only vassal, which I ponder that relationship, which does act for itself is Israel. Illegally, violently but the western world is scared of calling them out.

Many sites I visit are full of posters blaming everybody but themselves for their own situation. That's their culture, not taking responsibility for their own actions and bitching about the results others have taken on their behalf. I took responsibility for my actions and care of my loved ones at 16, some stupid decisions made but also some brilliant life enhancing ones. Assitance was required occasionally but provided willingly and repaid in spades.

China, Iran, Russia are all painted at as xxxkin animals, They're humans same as you and me, treat them as such. They have differences to you and me but you and me are probably very different. So what, get on with your life.

There are many here on TD who pick out foreign actions or inactions. Most cut and paste from their local MSM, with no opinion from themselves. I try and show a different view. When I joined TD I couldn't find any post on China, which to me, was a mistake given Chinas position in Asia, so I started some. I also do post in defence of the bad guys action when others create threads against normally pointing out inconsistencies in there source facts and unproven allegations. Some times after prompting they do supply new evidence and I thank them for it. Mostly they don't reply at all.

I will never know everything, please bear with me if you think I am mistaken and will, hopefully, point it out politely.

How can I help you today? My apologies for my briefness previously. Some will call this "waffle", "am I bovvered", no. Not at all. My reports from Russia, China, Iran and other counties illustrate actual, physical or documented achievements. You know like increasing local food production, providing funds to protect local citizens, raising living standards for a large % of local citizens and also some foreigners . My list goes on and on regarding countries which most here deride as buffalos. Their are many here who blindly report western MSM with no personal input/views expressed. As for being serious you must be joking. I am under no illusion that I am changing anything, at all. ameristan has the exceptional ability, truly, to do good and evil. I can't recall the last good thing they did, either for their own citizens or foreigners. I can and inform onameritani evil acts. ameristani vassals do not have independence of actions. Can you imagine 4 UK bombers approaching Tartus naval base and not being shot down, a French attack. I can't. The only vassal, which I ponder that relationship, which does act for itself is Israel. Illegally, violently but the western world is scared of calling them out. Many sites I visit are full of posters blaming everybody but themselves for their own situation. That's their culture, not taking responsibility for their own actions and bitching about the results others have taken on their behalf. I took responsibility for my actions and care of my loved ones at 16, some stupid decisions made but also some brilliant life enhancing ones. Assitance was required occasionally but provided willingly and repaid in spades. China, Iran, Russia are all painted at as xxxkin animals, They're hunas same as you and me, treat them as such. They have differences to you and me but you and me are probably very different. So what, get on with your life. There are many here on TD who pick out foreign actions or inactions. Most cut and paste from their local MSM, with no opinion from themselves. I try and show a different view. When I joined TD I couldn't find any post on China, which to me was a mistake given Chinas position in Asia, so I started some. I also do post in defence of the bad guys action when others create threads against normally pointing out inconsistencies in there source facts and unproven allegations. Some times after prompting they do supply new evidence and I thank them for it. Mostly they don't reply at all. I will never know everything, please bear with me if you think I am mistaken and will, hopefully, point it out politely. Have a nice day.

"German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas will pay a visit to Moscow on May 10 to discuss the situation in eastern Ukraine, Syria and German-Russian relations with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, the German Foreign Ministry reported on Tuesday.

"Along with other meetings, he will have a meeting with Sergey Lavrov to discuss, among other issues, the situation in Syria and eastern Ukraine, as well as German-Russian relations," the ministry said.

Meanwhile, a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry informed TASS that "the talks are scheduled to be held in Moscow on May 10."

Lavrov and Maas who was appointed German Foreign Minister in March held their first telephone call in late April, during which they discussed Syria and further steps within the Normandy format (Russia, Ukraine, France, Germany).

Earlier reports said that German Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier is due to visit Russia on May 13-14, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to pay a visit to Sochi on May 18."

"Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier has confirmed that he will visit Moscow at the beginning of the next week, he said in an interview with German radio station Deutschlandfunk released on Friday.

"I will follow my colleague [German Foreign Minister Heiko] Maas, who attended negotiations in Moscow yesterday. I will be there on Monday and Tuesday, and Chancellor [Angela Merkel will visit Sochi - TASS] during the week," Altmaier said.

German news agency DPA earlier reported that Altmaier plans to visit Ukraine and Russia on May 13-14 and chiefly discuss energy issues there, in particular the implementation of the Nord Stream - 2 project and Ukraine’s role as the a transit corridor for Russian gas to Europe.

The issue of German-Russian economic cooperation will dominate the Moscow visit. DPA reported that there is uncertainty in German business circles regarding the sanctions policy. Altmaier will also discuss in Moscow preparations for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to Sochi on May 18, where she is due to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Altmaier earlier headed the German Chancellery and is believed to be one of Merkel’s most trusted advisors"

THE LORD has built something new for the citizens of Russia. Yes that's right "BUILT" not blown up.

Bridge from mainland Russia to Crimea hours away from opening

"The bridge across the Kerch Strait, which will connect the Crimean Peninsula and Krasnodar Region is set to open on Tuesday. Construction of the bridge, the longest in Russia with a span of 19 kilometers, has been carried out since February 2016, and it is opening for cars more than half a year ahead of schedule.

The bridge capacity is 40,000 cars and 47 pairs of trains per day, 14 million passengers and 13 million tons of cargo per year. The railway section is scheduled to open in early 2019, the bridge will be opened for trucks starting from October of this year.

The link became vital after Crimea voted to rejoin Russia in 2014, as the peninsula’s only land border is with Ukraine. Before the opening, regular passenger and cargo deliveries were organized by direct flights and ferries from ports in southern Russia.

Each pillar of the bridge needs about 400 tons of metal structures, which means that all pillars need as much iron as 32 Eiffel towers. The bridge’s piles are installed at least 90 meters under water."

"The Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey as guarantors of the observance of the ceasefire regime in the Syrian Arab Republic:1. Reaffirmed their strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria. Highlighted that these principles should be universally respected and any action that might violate them and undermine achievements of the Astana format should be avoided.

2. Emphasized the importance of the implementation of the Memorandum on the creation of the de-escalation areas in the Syrian Arab Republic of 4 May 2017 and other agreements reached within the framework of the Astana format. Took stock of the developments of the situation on the ground a year after signing the Memorandum.

3. Underlined the key role that the de-escalation areas play in maintaining the ceasefire regime, reducing the level of violence and stabilizing the overall situation in Syria and highlighted that the creation of these areas is a temporary measure that under no circumstances undermines the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria.

4. Underscored the need to encourage efforts that help all Syrians to restore normal and peaceful life and to this end to ensure rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access, to deliver necessary medical aid and humanitarian assistance and to create conditions for safe and voluntary return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their original places of residence as well as free movement of local population.

5. Reaffirmed their determination to fight terrorism in Syria in order to ultimately eliminate DAESH/ISIL, Nusra Front and all other individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with AlQaeda or DAESH/ISIL as designated by the UN Security Council.

6. Welcomed the convening of the second meeting of the Working Group on the release of detainees/abductees and handover of the bodies as well as the identification of missing persons by three Guarantors` representatives with the participation of the UN and ICRC experts. Took note of the Working Group`s progress report and reaffirmed the necessity to continue joint efforts aimed at building confidence between the conflicting parties in Syria. Agreed to hold the next meeting of the Working Group in Ankara in June 2018.

7. Guided by the provisions of the UN Security Council resolution 2254, reaffirmed their determination to continue joint efforts aimed at advancing the process of the political settlement, through facilitating the implementation of the recommendations of the Congress of the Syrian National Dialogue in Sochi. In this regard agreed to hold joint consultations of their high-level representatives with the United Nations SecretaryGeneral’s Special Envoy for Syria as well as with Syrian parties in order to create conditions to facilitate the beginning of the Constitutional Committee`s work in Geneva as soon as possible and to carry out such meetings on a regular basis.

8. Expressed their sincere gratitude to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, His Excellency Nursultan Nazarbayev and the Kazakh authorities for hosting in Astana the 9th high-level International Meeting on Syria.

9. Decided to hold the next high-level International Meeting on Syria in Sochi in July 2018."

Three very different countries continuing their efforts to bring an end to a long problem.

Vladimir Putin had his first meeting with Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan.
May 14, 2018

13:10

Sochi

"President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Prime Minister, colleagues,I would like to welcome you to Russia and to congratulate you once again, this time in person, on your election to the high position of Prime Minister of Armenia.

First of all, I would like to say that we view Armenia, as everyone knows, as our closest partner and ally in the region. I am referring to both economic and security cooperation.

As you know, Russia is a leading trade and economic partner of Armenia. Its share is estimated at over 25 percent. Russia’s investment accounts for approximately 35 percent of all foreign investment in Armenia. Our trade has grown recently, also by some 25 percent. Armenian agricultural deliveries to Russia are growing at a fast pace, or more precisely, by 38 percent over the past few months.

Overall, this is very good progress and I hope that we will not just maintain but also boost it.

I would like to wish you every success on the post of the Prime Minister of Armenia. I hope that our relations will continue to develop consistently, just as they did before, and that we will continue to work together on the international stage as well as at international organisations, starting from the UN, where Armenia and Russia have always supported each other, and ending with regional organisations, both in security and economic development matters.

It is very gratifying that, just a few days after I was elected Prime Minister of Armenia, I have this opportunity to have a meeting with you, because I think that we have things to discuss.

There is also something that does not need to be discussed: the allied strategic relations between Armenia and Russia. In general, I can assure you that there is consensus on this matter in Armenia, and nobody has ever questioned the strategic importance of Armenian-Russian relations, or ever will.We are quite set on giving a fresh impetus to our relations – both in the political and trade and economic sense. We hope to develop our relations in the military technical sector as well as in other industries.

Many people from Russia visit Armenia, which is very good. I think Russians like Armenia very much, and Armenians also enjoy having so many tourists in Yerevan.I would like to say that we highly appreciate the balanced position that Russia held in the course of our domestic political crisis, and I think it was a very constructive position; it is highly appreciated not only by our Government, but also in Armenian society in general.

Once again, please accept my best wishes on Victory Day. It was very interesting to watch the May 9 parade on Red Square. It is popular in Armenia and we are very impressed by the achievements that the Russian defence industry has made.

A former official from Russia’s ruling party and top state executive has been found dead inside his apartment in what appears to be a suicide.
Yury Kotler, 50, a former state-run RIA Novosti, Time magazine and The New York Times journalist, served on the United Russia party’s supreme council in 2012-2016 and on its expert council since February 2018. He was a senior manager at several state-owned companies, including VTB bank and Russia’s largest port operator Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port (NCSP).

VTB, a Russian state-owned bank, was initially added to the US's Specially Designated Nationals List (SDN) in July 2014, which froze its assets in the country and restricted US citizens and companies from doing business with VTB and its subsidiaries. The US later imposed additional sanctions on VTB in December 2015.Sater and Trump's longtime personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, were pushing for the deal with VTB in Moscow at the height of the presidential election, in late 2015 and early 2016

"Signature of a temporary free trade zone agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Iran will contribute to transition to mutual settlements in national currencies, Vice President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vladimir Padalko told TASS on Thursday.

"This is an extra signal to everyone that the Iranian market awaits our businessmen and we will proactively work there. The business hopes that the free trade zone agreement will facilitate interaction between entrepreneurs from the EAEU and Iran, receipt of visas to this country and that the agreement will also promote the transition to settlements in national currencies, because we cannot work with the dollar now in view of US sanctions," Padalko said.

Resumption of US sanctions against Iran will not push away entrepreneurs and will not disturb interaction within the free trade zone agreement framework, the expert added. "I think they will not delay the activity of certain European countries in respect of Iran," he said.

The business expects that the European Union will not introduce restrictions on settlements with Iran in euro. "We hope Europeans will defend their positions and settlements in euro will remain. This is significant for us, because we are paying in euro to our Iranian partners now," Padalko said.

It was reported earlier today that the EAEU and Iran signed a temporary free trade zone agreement designed for the increase in the trade turnover on account of relaxation of the customs regime."

Vladimir Putin possesses the mindset of an intellectual, combined with the heart of a thug.

There was a video of THE LORD, released recently, where he was talking about events around the Sochi Olympics. During the ride to the opening gala evening on a bus full of invited heads of state he received a call from the Head of the Military. He was told that a commercial airplane had been high-jacked en route from Turkey to Moscow. He asked the general what he suggested we do. The general replied we can monitor it but we will eventually need to shoot it down.

Inside this bus going to the opening Olympic ceremony he thought for a moment and replied, "I concur with your advice, keep me informed". After the phone call had finished a guest asked if all was well? He replied, "All as well as can be expected. The ceremony will be just as we planned". During the ceremony he obviously played his role and was informed by his general the plane had returned to Turkey.

I would suggest he has standards, unlike the thuggish ex bankrupts other countries employ to play the fool, he takes his role responsibility/seriously and during his Presidencies has delivered what he promised to his citizens. If only other world leaders would enjoy such success, maybe the world could become more enjoyable for all.

The statement made by Ahmed Tomeh contradicted the political viewpoint of the group he represents reports Etihad

"A statement from Ahmed Tomeh, head of the Syrian opposition delegation, has sparked widespread controversy on social media. Participating in the 9th Astana meeting, Ahmed Tomeh, told Russia Today, on Tuesday, May 15, that “the Syrian opposition was wrong to take up arms.” In addition, the network quoting Tomeh as saying that the opposition “does not aspire to replace the Syrian government.”

Tomeh said that “many Syrian opposition military leaders are currently inclined toward a political solution.” He said that the opposition was convinced that “Russia is seeking a political solution to the Syrian crisis.” He expressed his hope that “the city of Idleb will turn from a de-escalation zone to a ceasefire zone.” He warned that a humanitarian disaster could occur if the city is “invaded”.

These statements raised more questions about the de-escalation zones agreement and the why Tomeh was calling for Idleb to be turned from a “de-escalation zone into a ceasefire zone”. The meaning of these two phrases has not been clarified in previous negotiating rounds held in Astana, which have been going on for more than a year now. The statement he made is also a contradiction to the declared viewpoint of the political team he represents (the Muslim Brotherhood).

In a recorded statement, a portion of which was published on Russia Today, Tomeh said: “The opposition did not aspire to one day be an alternative authority to the regime,” despite him personally heading the Interim Government of the Coalition. The goal, he said was “to transition from dictatorship to democracy.”

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author."

Is the Interim Government of the Coalition becoming more aligned with Moscow or is he saying something by his pose in the photo?